1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for mounting a connector on a printed circuit board comprising the steps of providing a connector having a housing of insulating material with a plurality of contact elements, providing a printed circuit board having a plurality of through holes mounting the connector on the printed circuit board, providing a shielding plate having contact ends at a back end and contact portions near a front end, and mounting the shielding plate on the printed circuit board by inserting the contact ends into through holes of the printed circuit board. The invention also relates to a shielded connector and shielding plate, the connector comprising a housing of insulating material accommodating a plurality of contact elements, and the shielding plate comprising a front half and a back half, the front half having a plurality of contact portions and the back half having contact ends for connection to a printed circuit board. The invention further relates to a shielded connector comprising a housing of insulating material accommodating a plurality of contact elements. The invention still further relates to a shielding plate comprising a front half and a back half, in the front half having a plurality of contact portions and the back half having contact ends for connection to a printed circuit board.
2. Description of Prior Developments
A method of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,773. In this known method the lower shielding plate is mounted on the lower side of the printed circuit board by moving the complete plate mainly perpendicular to the lower side of the a printed circuit board. During this movement the contact ends are inserted into through holes of the printed circuit board, while an end edge of the plate engages the front end edge of the printed circuit board. This requires an accurate manufacturing of the lower shielding plate as the distance between the end edge and the contact ends should be the same as the distance between the front end of the printed circuit board and the through holes. Moreover, the front end of the connector housing is not covered by the lower shielding plate.
The invention aims to provide an improved method of the above-mentioned type and a shielded connector and lower shielding plate for use in such a method.
To this end the method of the invention is characterized by a housing that is provided having at least one channel at a front end portion thereof, the channel being closed at its front end and open at its back end, and further within a shielding plate that is mounted on the printed circuit board by first inserting its front end into the at least one channel until the contact ends are at least substantially aligned with the through holes of the printed circuit board and thereafter inserting the contact ends into the through holes of the printed circuit board.
In this manner the front end of the lower shielding plate can be received with play in the at least one channel at the front end of the housing, wherein any tolerances can be absorbed by the channel. Moreover, also the front end of the housing is mainly covered by the lower shielding plate.
In a preferred embodiment the shielding plate is provided with a bend near its front end, wherein the front end of the shielding plate is inserted into said at least one channel until the bend meets the back end of the channel, wherein the bend is located such that the contact ends will be aligned with the through holes of the printed circuit board when the bend is located at the back end of the channel. In this manner the mounting of the lower shielding plate is simplified.
In a further preferred embodiment the shielding plate is provided with an inclined intermediate part between a front half and a back half of the shielding plate, wherein the back half is pressed towards the printed circuit board during inserting the contact ends into the through holes, wherein by the inserting step the inclined part is at least partially flattened to thereby push the front end of the shielding plate further into said at least one channel and to bring the contact portions in position. In this manner mounting of the lower shielding plate is relatively simple, wherein by inserting the contact ends into the through holes the front end is automatically pushed further into the at least one channel of the housing.
The shielded connector and lower shielding plate of the invention are characterized in that the housing is provided with at least one channel at a front end thereof, said at least one channel being open at its back end and closed at its front end for receiving the front end of a shielding plate, and in that the shielding plate is provided with a bend near its front end for co-operation with a housing part of a connector.